Tilling-machine



J. QVARNSTROM. TlLLlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MA! 13. 1920.

Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. QVABNSTROM. TiLUNG MACHINE.

APPLICATIOH FILED MAY 3, 1920.

' Patented Dec. 21, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' L J Qvarnsz rom UNITED STATES LAWRENCE J. QVARNSTROM, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

rILLING-MAcniNn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 13, 192G". Serial No. 381,147.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LAwnnNon J. QVARN- STROM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tilling-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tilling machines, and more particularly to an improved weedlifting, collecting and carrying machine.

The main object of this invention is to generally improve upon devices of this character and provide a simplified weeding or spading device which minimizes the power required to operate it while maximizing the efliciency and quality of work accomplished thereby, and is also useful as a tilling and ground leveling device.

Other objects and advantages will be pointed out or implied in the following details of description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine, the spuds, beater-arms and rake-teeth being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, the section being taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view along the line 44: of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view illustrating one of the sheetmetal plates which 3 constitute an element of the frame structure.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the different positions of the spading rotor and one of its spades or spuds carried thereby, with relation to the ground being engaged by this spud.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which slmilar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, and in which the groundwheels 1 and draft member or tongue 2 may be of any ordinary construction, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement ofparts which will now be de' scribed as follows:

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the main frame structure comprises a main axle 3 on which the wheels 1 are journaled;

1 gether with the bearing carried thereby; a

toothed-segment 10, a seat 11; a combined strut and pivot member 12 and the tongue 2.

A pair of levers 13 are journaled on the shaft3 and their lower arms constitute bearings or hangers in which are journaled a shaft-or axle 14. A set of circular series of .spades or. s uds 15 are mounted on this shaft 14.. ach set of spuds 15 is united with a hub 1.6, one hub for each series, and these hubs are preferably rotatable separately and independently of each other, to facilitate ease in turning the machine, and for other obvious reasons. Each lower spud 15, that is, the spud which is in engagement with or adjacent to the ground, is forwardly bowed to such extent that its piercing end or po nt is approximately vertical when it begins to enter the earth, and this piercing end of each spud begins to lift earth in its rear before its axis arrives at a point over its place of entering the earth. In this connection, referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that one of the hubs 16 and one of its spuds 15 are shown in five different positions. It is assumed that the hub has moved forward along the line and in the direction of the engaged the earth at the point of the oblique arrow, the lower broken line representing the earths surface. In the first position, the spud is about to enter the earth; in the second position, 1t has penetrated the earth a slight distance along a substantially vertical line; in the third position, it has begun to utilize the earth at the point of the oblique arrow, as a fulcrum, and has begun to move and lift the earth in rear thereof; in the fourth position, the center of the hub 16 has just passed over the fulcrum at the point of entering; and at the fifth position, the inwardly curved rear side is leaving the ground in a substantially horizontal position while lifting a portion of the ground with this substantially horizontal end portion. It will be seen, therefore, that the action of each spud 15 is substantially that of an ordinary hand-spade, that is, entering the ground without lateral movement, but

Patented Dec. 21,1920.

leaving the ground with a lateral or pivotal movement, utilizing the ground at its point of entrance as a fulcrum. From the foregoing description, it will be seen that this device, while primarily intended for passing under and lifting weeds from the earth, is also useful where there are no weeds, that is, for tilling the ground as with an ordinary spade.

The levers 13 are preferably united by means of a cross-bar 17 and this bar 17 may be utilized as a handle, by a person walking behind the machine, for raising and lowering the spuds, from the earth and toward the earth, and in order that these leversmay be turned about the shaft 3 by a person on the seat 11, a hand-lever 18 is provided with a latch which engages with the rack 10 for holding it in difierent positions. This handle is secured on a shaft 19 which is journaled in bearings of the members 6, 7, 8 and 9, and which is provided with upright arms 20. Links 21 are pivotally connected to the arms 20 and the levers 13. It will be seen, therefore, that when the lever 18 is swung forward, the arms 20 are also swung forward, and this swings the upper end of the lever 13 forward and swings its lower end rearward and downward so as to bring the spuds into engagement with the ground. By contmuing the forward movement of the lever 18, the spuds 15 are caused to enter the ground to a depth in proportion to the distance which the lever 18 has been moved forward. To limit the rearward movement of the weeding device or spading device 15-16, a pair of chains 22 is provided, these chains having their rear ends secured to the levers 13, or to the axle 14:, and having their front ends secured to the elements a of the side bars l. The spading device is in nowise geared with the ground wheels, and its rotation is dependent entirely upon its engagement with the ground, so that it operates without undue friction, lost motion or strain, and works as well when the wheels are slipping on the ground as when they are rotating. However, the ground wheels serve as gages to limit the depth of spadmg.

A rotary shaft or axle 23 is journaled in bearings 5* of the plates 5, and one or more hubs or rotors 24: are secured on this axle. Radial arms 25 are secured on the hub or rotor 24, and these elements 23, 24 and 25 constitute a beater for dislodging earth from the weeds or other plants being raised from the ground, and for dislodging these weeds or plants from the spuds 15. A sprocket-wheel 26 is secured on the shaft 23 and connects with a front sprocket-wheel 27 by which it is driven through the medium of a chain 28. The sprocket-wheel 27 reeaees is journaled on the axle 3 and united with the left-hand ground-wheel 1 so as to be rotated by the latter.

A tube or sleeve 29 is journaled on the rod or pivot 12, and a set of curved raketeeth 30 are clamped on this tube 29 by any appropriate means. An arm 31 is secured to and extends radially from the member 29, and a link 32 pivotally connects this arm with a lever 33 which is journaled on the shaft 19. Therefore, when the lever 33 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the raketeeth 30 are in the position to receive weeds or plants thrown rearward by the beater and to gather weeds which have been left on the surface of the ground by the spading device; so that the weeds are not only raised from the ground and freed of the dirt which may cling thereto, but are gathered and conveyed from the piece of ground being weeded, and may be left in piles to be burned or to be utilized as fertilizing material when they have withered and decayed. Moreover, the rake-teeth 30 level the ground in a manner similar to that of a harrow, thereby co-acting with the spading device for more perfectly preparing the ground for planting.

It is not intended to limit this invention to the exact details of description and illustration, but changes may be made within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a weeding machine, a frame, ground-wheels carrying said frame, a spading device carried by said frame and operable to pass under the'roots of weeds and lift them from the ground, means including a beater carried by said frame in rear of said spading device for dislodging earth from the lifted weeds and dislodging the latter from said weeding device, means operable by said ground-wheels to rotate said beater at a rate of speed suflicient to effect the beating of material from said spading device, and a rake carried by said frame in rear of said beater to receive the weeds from said spading device and beater and to remove the weeds from the portion of ground being weeded.

2. The structure defined by claim 1, means including a rocking shaft to raise and lower said spading device, and means including a lever on said shaft to raise and lower the teeth of said rake.

3. In a machine of the character described, a main axle, ground wheels journaled thereon, a pairof frame-bars including forwardly and rearwardly extending portions which cross said axle, a pair of frame-plates each having an axle-seat in one end and a journal-bearing in its opposite end, said plates being united with and depending from said frame-bars and having said main axle extending through said axle-seats, a rotary beating device journaled in the journal-bearings of said plates, means operable by one of said groundwheels to rotate said beating device, bearing-arms journaled 0n and depending from said main axle, and a rotary weed-lifting device journaled in said bearing-arms and operable to lift Weeds into position to be 10 beaten by said beating device. a

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

LAWRENCE J. QVARNSTROM. 

